Dessert: Dessert Sushi

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups medium-grain Japanese rice

Instructions

For the sushi rice: Combine the rice with 2 cups water in a medium pot and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stir and cover. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and fluff the rice with a fork. Replace the lid and let the rice sit for 5 minutes. Once the rice is fully cooked, immediately spread it out on a baking sheet. The goal here is to get the rice to cool as quickly as possible. For the coconut glaze: Combine the coconut milk, sugar and lemon zest in a small saucepot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Let the mixture reduce by two-thirds, until thickened and syrupy, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. This takes 20 to 25 minutes. To assemble nigiri (pressed sushi): Moisten your hands and mold the rice into 2-inch long logs. Drizzle a little coconut glaze over the rice. Cut some fruit leather into 1/2- by 2-inch strips (or use the pre-cut Fruit by the Foot strips), and use to wrap the rice logs cross-wise, mimicking the belt of seaweed wrapped around nigiri. Top with whatever fruit you like-blueberries and sour cherries look like salmon roe. (Alternatively: First top the rice with fruit, then secure the fruit to the rice by wrapping with strips of fruit leather.) Sprinkle with sesame seeds, top with mint leaves and serve. To assemble maki rolls: Lay the fruit leather out flat and cover it with an even layer of rice about 1/2-inch thick. Drizzle with some of the coconut glaze and sprinkle with some sesame seeds. On the side closest to you, lay down a row of julienned fruit-either mangoes, pineapples, strawberries, or cherries, or whatever you like. Top with some torn mint leaves and roll the entire thing into a cylinder, keeping it as tight as possible the whole way around. Slice into rounds with a sharp knife and serve.